"Important person" will be detained over Kim Jong Nam assassination - IGP

An "important person" will be among several people detained by the police to facilitate investigations into last month's assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

In confirming this, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said however, the identities of the individuals would not be disclosed as yet, to smoothen the police investigations into the killing.

"I do not deny there are several individuals, including North Koreans, involved in the assassination and we will use the legal channels to apprehend them.

"However, I cannot reveal who they are...but we believe there is an 'important person' among them," he told reporters here today, after officiating the 'Kembara Sang Saka Biru' programme in conjunction with the 210th Police Day celebrations on March 25.

Also present at the event were federal police management department director Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah and Melaka police chief Datuk Abdul Jalil Hassan.

The event also saw the pre-launch of the Police Heritage Trust Fund (TAWP) campaign.

Meanwhile, Khalid said the police were still waiting for cooperation from the North Korean Government to hand over the four suspects, namely Rhi Ji-hyon, 33, Hong Song-hac, 34, O Jong-gil, 55, and Ri Jae-nam, 57, who were believed to be in Pyongyang.

"If the North Koreans refuse to help, we will look at other laws which can be used to arrest the four suspects.

"This is a criminal case. Let us not mix it with politics. We are investigating an assassination which occured in this country.

"So, it is our responsibility to investigate in a transparent manner and in accordance with existing laws," he added.

Jong Nam was allegedly murdered by two foreign women who daubed his face with VX nerve agent while he was waiting for his flight to Macau at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) on Feb 13.

Jong-nam, who carried a passport bearing the name, 'Kim Chol', died on the way to the Putrajaya Hospital.

On March 1, two foreign women - Siti Aisyah, 25, an Indonesian, and Doan Thi Huong, 29, a Vietnamese citizen - were charged in the Sepang Magistrate's Court with Jong-nam's murder.

Recently, Jong-nam's body was handed over to the Malaysian health and foreign ministries for further action.

Meanwhile, when commenting on the TAWP campaign, Khalid hoped it would raise funds for the welfare of former policemen and their family members.

He said it would be launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur on March 25.

"We will not allow the Malaysian Ex-Policemen Association to collect any form of donations from the public because now, the public can contribute to this special fund which is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi," he added.

-- BERNAMA